return phone calls

I have been pretty good at this the last two weeks. I have proactively called five people (a huge number for me) and I’ve called back everyone who has called me. I even answered the phone at one point! It sounds so silly but it’s a big deal for me. I still find that after a long phone conversation I feel drained but that is outweighed by being able to connect with people. I called one friend who I hadn’t spoken with in a very long time due to my inability to call people back. It was really nice to catch up and it was nice to know she wasn’t upset with me.

I made it a point last night to call a few people back after work. It really is easier if you do it right away as opposed to waiting and having it hanging over your head. I called three people and answered a phone call from two. By the time I was done talking to everyone I had been on the phone for a couple hours and was tired and cranky. Not that people make me cranky. I just can’t get over the fact that I feel like I’m wasting my time by chatting on the phone. I usually have a ton of crap I have to do at home that I couldn’t do while at work! I’d much rather see the person as well. Perhaps I did too much too fast. I definitely won’t be able to do that again tonight but I do have at least two people I have to call. We’ll see how it goes.

I have been sort of bad about this goal lately. I did well for awhile but then my motivation tapered off. I still hate answering the phone and initiating phone calls. I’m not sure how to get over this phobia. I have to answer the phone and make calls all day at work (which is the part I dislike about my job), so when I get home I just don’t want to deal with it. I have recently gotten a cell phone however and this has helped me out a bit. I like seeing who is calling me. I’m going start again by making a real effort to answer the cell phone when it rings instead of letting the voice mail get it.

I have a horrible habit that brings me a lot of stress. It’s such a stupid thing too. I am terrible about calling people back, initiating phonecalls and just answering the phone in general. It’s a strange fear I have of the phone and an issue that has gotten a number of people upset with me. So, I resolved this year to really work hard at it AND to be proactive at calling people. So far I’ve done better but not good enough to stop peoples comments and jokes about my “phone phobia”. By the end of this year though, I plan to have them eating their words!